Rise of the Guardians
It's that time of the year again and just like every year, we have another holiday movie to look over. However, this one isn't just about Christmas, but about every major children's symbol. Let's take a look at Rise of the Guardians.
As the movie opens, we meet our main character, Jack Frost (Chris Pine), who can't be seen or touched by anyone. Zoom ahead a few hundred years where we find Santa, a.k.a North (Alec Baldwin), getting ready for the holidays. All of a sudden, a strange darkness surrounds his globe and hears the voice of an old enemy, Pitch, a.k.a the Boogeyman (Jude Law). Afterwards, North summons the guardians, which are the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), Sandman, and the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman). Once they all arrive, they consult the Man on the Moon for advice. He tells them that they'll need the help of a new Guardian, which just happens to be Jack. So now it's up to Jack Frost and the rest of the Guardians to take down Pitch.
The movie is very visually pleasing. From the things the Sandman makes with his sand to the design of different locations, especially the Tooth Fairy's home and the Easter Bunny's home, it's a real feast for the eyes. Jack Frost as the main character definitely does work with what the movie is trying to do, which is show how believing in something makes it more powerful, and no one really talks about Jack Frost as being real in the same way that parents talk to their kids about Santa or the Easter Bunny are real. I also really liked the whole different life aspect that they introduced with the Guardians. Basically, the Guardians had a previous life before they became the Tooth Fairy or Jack Frost, which I found very interesting. Pitch is pretty good for a villain since he's not just wanting to take over the world or destroy the Guardians. All he wants is to be believed in again like kids believe in the others, which is also what Jack wants, but they both want it for different reasons. However, my favorite performance has to be Alec Baldwin as a Russian Santa. It's just so amazing and I haven't really seen this type of Santa done before. He's got tattoos of his naughty and nice lists and isn't afraid to jump into the action if it means saving someone. He even just has fun doing anything, even someone else's job. It just makes it that much more entertaining for the audience.
There are a few problems I had though. For starters, they don't go all that into the characters' backstory. They go into Jack's, but not any of the other Guardians. I know that the film is mostly centered around him, but it wouldn't hurt to show us some more about the others. Santa at one point brings up Bunny's life before becoming a Guardian, but not much is said about it. Also, the humor is a bit dry. It's not a laugh out loud comedy and you can definitely tell that they wanted to get at least some jokes thrown in that would work, but they don't.
Is Rise of the Guardians worth watching? Sure it is. While it's not anywhere near as good as some of the other animated movies that have already come out this year, namely Wreck-It Ralph and Hotel Transylvania, it's still an enjoyable movie.
As the movie opens, we meet our main character, Jack Frost (Chris Pine), who can't be seen or touched by anyone. Zoom ahead a few hundred years where we find Santa, a.k.a North (Alec Baldwin), getting ready for the holidays. All of a sudden, a strange darkness surrounds his globe and hears the voice of an old enemy, Pitch, a.k.a the Boogeyman (Jude Law). Afterwards, North summons the guardians, which are the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), Sandman, and the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman). Once they all arrive, they consult the Man on the Moon for advice. He tells them that they'll need the help of a new Guardian, which just happens to be Jack. So now it's up to Jack Frost and the rest of the Guardians to take down Pitch.
The movie is very visually pleasing. From the things the Sandman makes with his sand to the design of different locations, especially the Tooth Fairy's home and the Easter Bunny's home, it's a real feast for the eyes. Jack Frost as the main character definitely does work with what the movie is trying to do, which is show how believing in something makes it more powerful, and no one really talks about Jack Frost as being real in the same way that parents talk to their kids about Santa or the Easter Bunny are real. I also really liked the whole different life aspect that they introduced with the Guardians. Basically, the Guardians had a previous life before they became the Tooth Fairy or Jack Frost, which I found very interesting. Pitch is pretty good for a villain since he's not just wanting to take over the world or destroy the Guardians. All he wants is to be believed in again like kids believe in the others, which is also what Jack wants, but they both want it for different reasons. However, my favorite performance has to be Alec Baldwin as a Russian Santa. It's just so amazing and I haven't really seen this type of Santa done before. He's got tattoos of his naughty and nice lists and isn't afraid to jump into the action if it means saving someone. He even just has fun doing anything, even someone else's job. It just makes it that much more entertaining for the audience.
There are a few problems I had though. For starters, they don't go all that into the characters' backstory. They go into Jack's, but not any of the other Guardians. I know that the film is mostly centered around him, but it wouldn't hurt to show us some more about the others. Santa at one point brings up Bunny's life before becoming a Guardian, but not much is said about it. Also, the humor is a bit dry. It's not a laugh out loud comedy and you can definitely tell that they wanted to get at least some jokes thrown in that would work, but they don't.
Is Rise of the Guardians worth watching? Sure it is. While it's not anywhere near as good as some of the other animated movies that have already come out this year, namely Wreck-It Ralph and Hotel Transylvania, it's still an enjoyable movie.